Internal-combustion engine.



A. DICKERSON.

1,293,726. Patented Feb. 11-, 1919. A a SHEETSSHEET 1.

'A. DICKEHSON.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 4, l9! 7.

1,293,726. I Patented Feb. 11, 1919.

Q SHEETSSHEET 2.

I 2.; awfium INVENTOR yadmm A. DICKERSONg INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE. APPLICATION HLED SEPT. 4. I917.

Patented Feb. 11, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

fi Z ash/w INVENTOR ATTORNEY TE% PATENT @FFTQE.

ARTHUR DIOKEB-SON, F SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, ASSIGNOR OF TWENTY-TWO AN D ONE- HALF ONE-HUNDREDTHS TO JOSEPH LIPPMAN', TWENTY-TWO AND ONE-HALF ONE- HUNDIBIEDTHS TO SOLON SPIRO, TWENTY-TWO AND ONE-HALF ONE-HUNDREDTHS TO NICHOLAS M. AMBROSE, TEN ONE-HUNDREDTHS T0 HARRY A. LEE, AND ONE ONE-HUNDBEDTH TO ANDREW J. PAULSON, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH.

INTEBNALCOMBUSTION ENGINE.

neaa'ree.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 1111, 1919.

Application filed September 4, 1317. Serial No. 189,657.

' Lake City, in the county of Salt Lake and State of Utah, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

i My invention relates to internal combustion engines, and has for its object to provide a compact, multiple cylinder engine in which the cylinders are constructed by bolting duplicated sides together and which exhaust into an expansion cylinder and in which a single rotary valve regulates the ilntake and exhaust ports of all of the cyliners. 4

These objects I accomplish with the device illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which similar letters and numerals of reference indicate like parts throughout the several figures and as described in the specification forming a part of this application and pointed out in the appended claim. In the drawings in which I have shown a substantial embodiment of my invention Figure 1 is an end view in elevation of the engine. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the engine showing one side of the cylinder case, two pistons, and valve shaft in elevation, and the valve case, one piston and portions of the crank shaft in section. Fig. 3

is a view in perspective of the valve case, valve shaft and manifold with portions cut 85 away. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the lower or bottom portion of the valve case. Fig. 5 is an inverted plan view of the top or u per portion of the valve case. Fig. 6 is an e evation of the valve shaft showing the relative so position of the ports therein some of which are shown in dotted lines.

I build my engine in units of three cylinders, two of which are explosion'cylinders as shown at A, and B, with an expansionlcyle5. inder C between them. The cylinders are formed by bolting two coacting sides 1 and 2 together within each of which are formed semi-cylindrical recesses or openings constitut' one-half ofthe saidcylinders A, B,

so and and one-half of the crank case D. The crank shaft E is mounted in said crank case D with suitable bearings 3, 4, 5 and 6.

1 inders.

The outer side of each of said cylinder sides 1 and 2 forms one or more of the walls of the water jacket which is formed by bolting the plates 7 and 8 adjacent said cylinders A, B, and C and forming a water tight joint with portions of the edges of said sides 1 and 2. A sprocket wheel 9 is secured on one end portion of said crank shaft, and another sprocket wheel 10 is secured on the end portion of the said valve shaft 11. A chain belt 12 connects the said crank shaft and valve shaft whereby the motion of said crank shaft is imparted to said valve shaft 11. The pistons 13 and 14 are operated in the respective cylinders A and B, and the .piston 15 is operated in the said cylinder C. secured on the crank shaft E between which one end of the connecting rod 13 is mounted on the short shaft 16, and the other end of the said connecting rod 13' is mounted on the short shaft 17 Similar short shafts and connecting rods 14; and 15 are used to connect the respective pistons 14 and 15 with the crank shaft E. The valve case F is constructed by bolting the opposed plates 18 and 19 together and rigidly upon the upper end of the said cylinders A, B, and C. The said valve case thus forms the closure for said cylinders A, B, and G, and the bearing Disks a a are for the valve shaft 11. The upper one of said plates shown as 18 has two vertical intake ports 21 and 22 and the exhaust port 23 cut therein and opening into the respective cylinders A, B, and O, and on its lower side is cut the longitudinally disposed valve shaft bearing channel 20. The intake manifold 24 is secured on the top of said plate 19 and the ports 21 and 22 open into the interior of said manifold. An exhaust pipe 25 is connected with the said port 23. In the lower of said plates 19 is out the other half of the longitudinally disposed valve shaft bearing channel 20 and from said channel the valve ports 31, 32,33, 34, 35, 36 and 37 are cut through said plate and open into said cyl- The' said ports 21 and 31 are in alinement. The ports 22 and 37 are likewise in alinement, and the ports 23 and 34 are also in alinement. In the valve shaft 11 are out the diametrically disposed ports 26, 27,

when said valve shaft is in position longitudinally and turned or rotated on its axls the said port 30 will be in vertical alinement and 34 and in connection With-the exhaust pipe 25. The ports 26 and 28 are at right angles to the ports 28 and 30 and when said valve shaft 11 is rotated on its axis and the port 26 is vertical it will be in alinement with the said ports 21 and 31 and in connection with the fuel channel 39 of the intake manifold 24 at the same time the port 28 will be in vertical alinement with the ports 23, and 24 and in connection with the exhaust pipe 25. The port 27 is bored through said valve shaft 11 at an angle of 45 degrees from the said ports 26 and 28, and the port 29 is likewise bored diametrically through said valve shaft at right angles to the said port 27 and at an angle of 45 degrees from the bolted together.

said ports 28 and 30. The said port 27 is longitudinally positioned and of length sufficient to cover both of the ports 32 and 33, and the said port 29 is longitudinally positioned and of length suflicient to cover both of the ports 35 and 36.

The assembling and operation of my engine is as follows:

The said sides land 2 are duplicates and are boredtofomnwhen assembled, the said cylinders A, B, and C and also the crank caseD within which the crank shaft bearings, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are secured and the said disks a a, I) b and 0 c are operated. When said sides 1 and 2 are bolted together and the said plates 18- and'19 are in position and bolted on the uppger end of said sides, the said cylinders A, and C will have compression tight walls and upper ends. As will be obvious the crank shaft, bearings, disks and pistons with thelr connections, will have been placed in position before the said sides and plates are The said valve shaft 11 having been previously bored with the ports therethrough will be journaled in the channel 20 of t e said plates 18 and 19 and will esecured, in the desired longitudinal position to bring the ports in the said plates and shaft in the respective'alinements, by the said sprocket wheel 10. With fuelsupplied through the said intake manifold 24 in the required proportions as regulated by any of the well known carbureters, and the crank shaft rotated to draw an explosive gas into and compress it within one of saidcylinders A .or B the engine will be operated. For instance and to illustrate, I will describe one cycle of operation by commencing with said cylinder A; and with the ports 21, 26 and 31 in vertical alinement the explosive gas will be drawn into said cylinder and by one revolution of the crank shaft the said gas will be compressed in the cylinder A and with its piston in aboutthe position shown in Fig. 2. By firing this compressed gasby the usual spark plug inserted through the wall of the said plate 19 in holes 40 the piston 13 Will be forced to the lower end of said cylinder and the crank shaft rotated. The crank shaft is given four rotations on its axis while the valve shaft is rotated once. At the instant of firing, the relative position of the ports in the valve shaft will be such that ports 31, 32, 33, 35 and 36 will be closed,

while ports 34 and 37 will be open. As the piston 13 is moved downward by the explosion ofthe gas the piston 15 will be moved upward and the piston 14 downward, and

cylinder C will exhaust and cylinder B will be filled with fresh gas. As the piston 13 is again moved upward the valve shaft will be partially rotated and the ports 32 and 33 will be opened by the ports 27 in said valve shaft being brought into alinement therewith and the expanded gas will be forced through said (ports 32, 27 and 33 into the said cylinder which is purposely of larger capacity than either of the cylinders A or B. When said ports 32, 27 and 33 are in alinement the port 34 is closed and the power of the expanded gas will be imparted to the crank shaft 11 thro the piston 15 being forced downward on the rotation of the crank shaft is continued and the said piston 15 is forced upwardly in the cylinder the valve 28 will be brought into vertical alinement with the ports 23 and; 34 and the gas will exhaust through said ports and said exhaust pipe 25. During the same interval of time in which the actions of the pistons 13 and 15 and their respective ports have been taking place the piston 14 will have moved within its respective cylinder B the same as the piston A, but as the ports 28 and 30 are 90 degrees behind those of 26 and 28' in the cycle of rotation, a charge of gas will have been fired in cylinder 14 and exhausted into said cylinder 15 and. a fresh charge drawn into said cylinder 14 ready for compression and firing. The compression and firing chamber of the cylinder A consists of the space between the upper end of the piston 13 and the bottom of said plate 19 together with the space of port 31, while the compression and firing chamber of said cylinder B consists of the space betweenthe upper end of the said piston 14 and the bottom of said plate 19 together'with the space of port 37 and there is no firing of gas in the cylinder 15.

I thus provide an economical efiicient gas engine wherein the two explosion cylinders the expansion cylinder and the crank case are made by bolting duplicate halves of a casing together. The expansion cylinder is an area greater than the sum of the two explosion cylinders. I also provide two opposed valve cases longitudinally recessed to form a valve chamherwithin which is 0perated a rotary valve, and one of said cases forming the closure for said cylinders. lhe splitting of the cylinders and valve case permits their being taken up to compensate for wear and the length of the valve which is practically a shaft prevents the usual valve leakage due to wear.

Having thus described my invention I desire to secure by Letters, Patent and claim An internal comlbustion engine consisting of two duplicate plates bolted together and recessed to form two spaced apart explosion cylinders and an expansion cylinder between them and a transversely disposed crank case at one end of said cylinders; a crank shaft mounted in said crank case; pistons operable in said cylinders and connected with said crank shaft; a recessed valve plate secured on and forming a closure for said cylinders and having ports cut therein opening into said cylinders; a coasting recessed plate secured contiguous said valve plate also provided with ports which are in alinement with some of the ports in said valve plate. A valve shaft operable in the recesses in Said two plates last descriloed having ports cut diametrically therein adapted to be brought into alinement with the ports of said two plates last described; and means to conduct explosive gas to the ports in the last described plate With means to fire said gas when compressed in the explosion cylinders.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature.

ARTHUR DICURSON. 

